Every year in winter, many middle-aged and elderly people will have itching in the lower legs, which gradually spreads to the thighs, upper arms and even the whole body. Whenever I go to bed, the itching becomes more and more obvious, and the more I scratch it, the more it itches, the more it itches, until it is scratched and bleeding, and it is even difficult to sleep, and my life is seriously affected.
Itching is a common symptom of a variety of ** diseases, if there is only itching without erythema, papules, wheals and other ** damage, it is called pruritus. The disease is more common in the elderly, especially those over 60 years of age. Why does pruritus tend to occur in older adults?
Deterioration of physiological functions.
Modern medicine believes that the climate is cold and dry in winter, the human body also becomes dry and rough, the dandruff falls off, and the intradermal nerve endings are more susceptible to stimulation.
Due to the deterioration of various physiological functions in the elderly, including aging, the sweat glands and sebaceous glands in the elderly also degenerate, the secretion of sweat and sebum decreases, and the atrophy also leads to a decrease in the amount of water inherent in the body, resulting in dryness and impaired barrier function, and it is easy to be stimulated by the cold and heat changes in the surrounding environment and induce itching.
Influence of Xi habits.
Older people are prone to pruritus, which is also related to their perennial Xi. Older people are not sensitive to temperature, for example, young people feel hot bath water, but older people don't feel hot. After hot water scalding, the itching of ** will be temporarily reduced or disappeared, so the elderly love to use very hot water to bathe.
Many elderly people love to use alkaline soap when taking a bath, and the sebum with emollient effect is washed off, making the already boring ** even drier, causing a vicious circle.
Associated with diseases of internal organs.
In addition to the deterioration of physiological functions and the habitual effects of life Xi, the occurrence of senile **pruritus is also related to many internal organ diseases, such as diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, blood disease, cancer, etc.
Therefore, when there is itching, especially when itching occurs suddenly, it is not only necessary to consider the factor of dryness, but also to conduct a comprehensive physical examination to rule out other diseases.
Active prevention and control. Constant scratching will thicken and lichenify, which in turn aggravates itching, and will form a vicious circle of scratching and itching, itching and scratching. Itching affects the patient's sleep, reduces the quality of life, and easily induces psychological disorders.
Therefore, in the face of itching, the elderly should actively prevent and treat it, and do not think that "carrying it" will pass, the following are some precautions:
Bathing: First of all, take a bath, especially in winter, the elderly should not take a bath too often, the water temperature should be kept at 35 to 40, and do not use alkaline soap, let alone strong alkaline bath products. Alkaline soap has a high degreasing effect and will increase the dryness, so you should choose a neutral skin care bath soap.
Use skin care products: The elderly have less oil secretion and dryness, so they need to often rub some oily skin care products, such as skin creams, skin creams, skin care oils, etc., so that they can maintain a certain humidity and moisturization, which can significantly reduce and prevent itching.
Diet and rest: life should be regular, **itching will be aggravated when the life is irregular, poor sleep, poor rest, and uncomfortable mood. Therefore, the elderly must pay attention to the rules of life, sleep well, do not overwork, and keep the stool smooth. Nutrition should be adequate on weekdays, dietary allocation should be appropriate, diet should be light, do not eat too salty, too greasy, eat less or do not eat spicy and other stimulating foods, eat more fresh yellow and green vegetables, do not drink alcohol, drink less or do not drink strong tea and coffee.
Itching treatment: Excessive scratching, rubbing, hot water washing and other ways should be avoided to relieve itching, and strong irritation should not be used for external drugs. For patients with significant itching, oral allergy drugs such as loratadine, cetirizine and ketotifen can be taken to relieve itching symptoms.
Once senile pruritus occurs, it is necessary to actively look for it. For primary diseases, such as diabetes, jaundice, intestinal parasitic diseases, renal insufficiency, etc., it is necessary to actively remove the aggravated pruritus as much as possible.
Author: Zuo Fuguo.
Text: Zuo Fuguo (**Doctor, East Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University) Photo: Visual China Editor: Li Chenyan Editor: Tang Wenjia.
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